Pearls in Myth

Pearls have been attributed great powers and incorporated into the mythology of virtually every culture which has encountered them. And no wonder! Given natural pearls rarity as well as their mysterious beauty, who could argue that pearls might not indeed be a gift from the gods?

In Hindu culture pearls were associated with the Moon and were symbols of love and purity. Hindu texts say, that Krishna discovered the first pearl, which he presented to his daughter on her wedding day.

Islamic tradition holds pearls in even higher regard. The Koran speaks of pearls as one of the great rewards found in Paradise and the gem itself has become a symbol of perfection.

Christianity also adopted the pearl as a symbol of purity. Many of these ideas have come down to us in pearl lore and legend and persist even today. For example pearls are often associated with brides and weddings -- a concept possibly dating all the way back to Krishna and the wedding of his daughter.

Pearls are also said to symbolise tears to provide love and fertility, to symbolise purity and to ward off evil.
In addition -- and perhaps deriving from their mythological significance -- pearls have often been attributed medicinal qualities and used to treat a wide variety of physical ailments.

The Pearl Colour have sometimes been associated with certain qualities: black or gold with wealth, blue with love, pink with success.